Bulletproof Clothing

Bulletproof Suits: What Does It Feel Like To Get Shot?

What was I thinking? That half of The Explorers Club board of directors (upon which I sit) would pray that the jacket worked — the other half that it failed. Funny, the things that cross your mind when you're about to be shot.

Just after Caballero counted “one,” I saw a yellow flash and heard a loud bang. It was as if a hot poker burned my skin followed by a blunt, but very heavy, thud.

I was stunned and didn’t move in case Caballero would shoot again (he was supposed to fire on three!), but he quickly lowered the gun and smiled. The audience, visibly relieved, applauded. Then he dug the bullet lead out of my jacket and handed it to me, still hot, as a keepsake.

Caballero explained that the practice runs were only to become comfortable with my “tensing” routine and that he had always planned to shoot on one. A little surprise in this case, he said, was my friend. He also shot point-blank to minimize any chance of my moving at the last second.

As a counterpoint to my own shot, Caballero shot my photographer, Vanessa O’Brien, but with the two layers of protection. For the record, he rarely shoots women, but O’Brien is no stranger to danger. This past April, the 48-year-old completed what is known as The Explorers Grand Slam: a climb of the highest peaks on each continent, including Mount Everest (the “Seven Summits”), plus a ski to the North and South Poles. She did all of this in a women's record time of 11 months.

“I felt nothing but a slight shove,” she said afterward, smiling. “No bruise, no marks. But taking a shot is a pretty incredible experience anyway — from mental anticipation to the sound, smoke and smell of the gun. I’m just glad the jacket worked.”

Looking at the painful bruise on my stomach, I almost wish I had done it her way. But at least my ribs are intact.

We are both now honorary members of Caballero's Survivors Club, and to prove it we have the spent shell casings and signed T-shirts. The club’s official members were shot in the line of duty wearing Caballero’s products. Many policemen and security personnel have sent testimonials to the company with photos of their impacted garments, some even stained with blood.

Caballero says his biggest problem nowadays is knockoffs. “Sometimes people mail in a 'bulletproof' product to be fixed with my name on the label, but we didn’t make it. That concerns me. Our materials are proven and work. With these other guys, who knows?”